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"a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another; follower: a disciple of Freud."

The word has been tied so strongly into Christianity that there is a tendency to think that. Similar to how there is a tendency to think the word christ applies only to Christianity.

Quote:OrgoneConclusion said:there can be no phony gurus.

True or false?

False. The followers may be ignorant but they are not phony. I take phony as meaning people who twist the teachings of their guru intentionally. Either that, or disciples whose teachings were twisted or invented for other reasons (see conspiracies about the Catholic church).

The opening quote was from the author of a book exposing many of the famous gurus of the last 50 years.

Perhaps what he means by a phony disicple is someone wanting a quick fix without putting in the work. All he/she must do is be in the presence of an Enlightened One and have nearly every area of their life charted out. These types of disciples may work hard physically, but are lazy in taking control of their own lives. Think of Jonestown or the Manson Family as prime examples.

Could an authentic seeker be so easily fooled by such con men? I left Ananda after being unimpressed with Swami Kriyananda (kicked out of his own community for sexual indiscression) and the communal 'vibe'.

Indeed, there always will be sheep, something I am coming to grips with. It is almost pointless to try to convince some of these people that they are living a lie, the best we can do is be good shepherds and get them young imo.

Quote:OrgoneConclusion said:These types of disciples may work hard physically, but are lazy in taking control of their own lives. Think of Jonestown or the Manson Family as prime examples.

Could an authentic seeker be so easily fooled by such con men? I left Ananda after being unimpressed with Swami Kriyananda (kicked out of his own community for sexual indiscression) and the communal 'vibe'.

Face it dude you got punk'd. They had you buying into that shit and working for peanuts. You worked hard and were waiting for someone to take control of your life because you were lost, little girl. Fortunately you learned compassion and to forgive religious fanatics in the intervening years instead of becoming bitter.

Quote:OrgoneConclusion said:The opening quote was from the author of a book exposing many of the famous gurus of the last 50 years.

Perhaps what he means by a phony disicple is someone wanting a quick fix without putting in the work. All he/she must do is be in the presence of an Enlightened One and have nearly every area of their life charted out. These types of disciples may work hard physically, but are lazy in taking control of their own lives. Think of Jonestown or the Manson Family as prime examples.

Could an authentic seeker be so easily fooled by such con men? I left Ananda after being unimpressed with Swami Kriyananda (kicked out of his own community for sexual indiscression) and the communal 'vibe'.

I think a better word is delusional. Without delusional disciples there can not be delusional gurus.

And I don't think it has to do with work but with fear. I think the basic truth is that there is no purpose for human beings existence and without a purpose there simply is no logical answer of what to do with our lives. We evolved to survive, survival is now easy, even a retarded homeless cripple can find food in the trashbins. Now that our daily activities no longer must be concerned with survival, we don't know what to do with their lives, and this creates uncertainty. But then someone comes along who portrays confidence, they do a little act or speak a certain way and become a symbol of confidence - and a person can trade the truth of uncertainty for the lie of certainty, and they can feel confident in their actions, in a system of belief and how to live given to them by someone skilled in leadership.